AGREEMENT

Subject and VerbPronoun and Antecedent

Number

Definition – the form a word takes to indicate whether the word is singular or plural Singular – one person, place, thing, or

idea Car, dog, fungus, it, fish

Plural – more than one person, place, thing, or idea Cars, dogs, fungi, they, fish

Subject/Verb Agreement Rule – a verb should agree IN NUMBER with

its subject Singular subjects take singular verbs.

A woman cooks my dinner. A mind is a terrible thing to waste.

Plural subjects take plural verbs. Men cook on the grill. Minds are terrible things to waste.

NOTE : Generally, nouns ending in –s are plural, but verbs ending in –s are singular.

Rules for Number Determination

The number of the subject is not determined by a word in a phrase or a clause following the subject. The squirrels in the tree are building a nest. The boy from the Rocky Mountains is my

good friend. Joe, one of the nation’s best players, is going

to start for an NBA team. The puppy, along with its littermates, is

trying to escape from the pen.

Rules for Number Determination (cont.)

These indefinite pronouns are singular: Anybody, anyone, anything, each, either,

everybody, everyone, everything, neither, nobody, no one, nothing, one, something, somebody, and someone

Each of the players runs a mile in less than five minutes.

Neither of the horn players is capable of playing the music.

Does anyone in the apartment buildings help with the estate sale?

Rules for Number Determination (cont.)

These indefinite pronouns are plural: Both, few, many, and several

Were both of the ladies attractive? Few of the students are failing the

class. Several of the players attend class.

Rules for Number Determination (cont.) These indefinite pronouns may be singular or plural,

depending on their meaning in a sentence: All, any, more, most, none, and some These pronouns are singular when they refer to a

single word and plural when they refer to a plural word. Some of the pizza has anchovies. (Some refers to the

singular noun pizza.) Some of the pieces have anchovies. (Some refers to

the plural noun pieces.) None of the students are attending the conference.

(None refers to the plural noun students.) None of the stock is damaged. (None refers to the

singular noun stock.)

Compound Subjects Definition – consists of two or more subjects that are

joined by a conjunction and that have the same verb RULE : Subjects joined by and generally take a plural

verb. Tom, Dick, and Harry are the greatest of friends.

However, compound subjects that name only ONE person, place, thing, or idea take a SINGULAR verb. My best friend and confidante is my husband. Macaroni and cheese tastes delicious.

Compound Subjects (cont.) RULE : Singular subjects joined by or or nor

take a singular verb, and plural subjects joined by or or nor take a plural verb. Either Steve or Sally needs to finish painting

the living room. Neither the man nor his girlfriend wants to

finish painting the living room. Either the Tigers or the Golden Eagles have a

chance to play in a bowl game. Neither the Volunteers nor the Gamecocks

seem to care about this season.

Compound Subjects (cont.)

RULE : When a singular subject and a plural subject are joined by or or nor, the verb agrees with the subject nearer the verb. Neither the coach nor the players want

to attend the banquet. Either the players or the coach accepts

the award.

Other Problems in Agreement

RULE : The contractions don’t and doesn’t should agree with their subjects.

Remember that don’t is the contraction of do not and doesn’t is the contraction of does not. He doesn’t wish to leave. They don’t want to know.

Collective Nouns Definition : May be either singular or plural,

depending on its meaning in a sentence. The singular form of a collective noun

names a group of persons or things (use a singular verb when it refers to a group or unit). The class has elected its officers.

Use a plural verb when the collective noun refers to the individual parts or members of the group. The class have completed their projects.

Other Rules of Subject/Verb Agreement

RULE : Even when plural in form, the title of a creative work (a book, song, film, or painting), the name of an organization, or the name of a country or city generally takes a singular verb. “500 Miles” is a repetitive song. The Outsiders describes a rumble between

the Greasers and the Socs. Woodland Hills hosts the CBHS Homecoming

Dance.

Other Rules of Subject/Verb Agreement RULE : Subjects preceded by every or

many a take singular verbs. Many a student is surprised when he actually

receives a “U.” RULE : When the relative pronoun that,

which, or who is the subject of an adjective clause, the verb in the adjective clause agrees with the word to which the relative pronoun refers. These are the students who fail to take and

pass enough book tests. This is the problem that is not taken seriously

by many freshmen.

Agreement of Pronouns and Antecedents

Pronouns usually refer to a noun or another pronoun that comes before it.

The word that the pronoun refers to is called its antecedent.

Pronouns should agree in number and gender with their antecedents.

Singular pronouns used for antecedents that are singular in number. Plural pronouns used for antecedents that are plural in number.

Examples of agreement in number

Wiley Coyote made his best attempt to catch the Road Runner.

The student at CBHS is trying to get into Notre Dame. His grades are good, but his test scores are too low.

The characters in the cartoon are known for making fools of themselves.

They always go to their son’s games.

Gender Related Pronouns

Masculine pronouns refer to males He, him, his, himself

Feminine pronouns refer to females She, her, hers, herself

Neuter pronouns refer to places, things, or ideas It, its, itself

Rules in Gender When the antecedent of a personal pronoun

is another kind of pronoun, a word in a phrase following the antecedent will help to determine gender.

One of the nuns will beat her students. Neither of the men would show his face. Either of the birds could have hurt its

wing.

Rules in Gender When a singular antecedent may be

either masculine or feminine, use both the masculine and the feminine forms, connected by or.

Each customer will be allowed to return to his or her seat.

A traveler needs to keep an eye on his or her luggage.

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